Leo Valdez and the Six Month Debacle (Almost)
by squidzilla
Summary: <html><head></head>Friends, fire, and family. A compilation of one-shots and blurps revolving around Leo Valdez as he works on the Argo II, taking place between tLH and SoN. Filled with friendship, humor, romance, and other teenage demigod things. Looking for prompts and ideas as well. More information inside!</html>
1. Sleevies

_**HAPPY RELEASE DATE OF BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, FELLOW DEMIGODS!**_

**Hello everyone! I recently discovered the gloriousness of these books, and I am ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with Leo. Then, this idea (and a bunch of other random ones) popped into my head and I thought this is a wonderful distraction from my other WiP (a Narnia fic). Since this is a distraction, I cannot guarantee updates on a regular basis. Depending on the feedback, I'll change accordingly ;)**

**Anyway, this "story" will be a bunch of one-shots revolving around our favorite Bad Boy Supreme, other demigods at Camp Half-Blood, as well as a potential and important-ish OC (I love OCs). These little drabbles have the potential to flow like a mini story, but we shall see. I'm trying to keep this as canon as possible, so it's only going to cover the six-ish months that Leo is constructing the Argo II. Unfortunately, pre-Caleo.**

**I have a bunch of random scenes that I plan on writing, but if there's something that you would like to read, please PM or review! **

**Here's my fabulous disclaimer for everyone: I don't own anything that belongs to anyone. Also, this story is rated T for some language, sexual situations/hints, and terrible jokes.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Sleevies<span>**

Leo waltzed into the council meeting and slid into his seat. Everyone else was chatting and throwing snacks to Seymour before the meeting began, so he grabbed a soda and leaned back in his chair. His grimy hand ran through his hair and slicked it back, but Leo didn't care. He was exhausted.

"Gods, Leo, you reek. Isn't there a shower in that hole of yours?" Clarisse asked as she scrunched her nose.

He said with a wink, "You don't like my new scent? Eau de Sizzle?" He waved his hands to waft the delicious smell across the room.

Jason and Piper groaned from across the table as Clarisse grumbled. She sounded like a monster, and could probably rip him apart just as quick.

"No showers in my man cave, I'm afraid."

"Clearly."

Leo reminded himself to save his winks for someone who'd appreciate them, and not the female bulldog to his right.

As Chiron called the meeting to order, a rogue Snausage flew across the table and slapped him across the cheek. It limply fell onto the table with a soft thud, and Seymour growled in disappointment. All eyes turned to Travis Stoll who was slowly sinking into his chair, as if hiding was going to help him.

Chiron, being the patient centaur that he is, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the Snausage juice from his cheek. "Thank you, Travis. I do love projectile snacks of the non-vegetarian kind. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to begin."

He started rambling about something that Leo probably should have been paying attention to, but that would have been the smart thing for him to do. Which was probably never going to happen. He pulled out some hardware from his pocket and began to fidget, screwing and unscrewing a wing nut absentmindedly. His hands were so greasy the nut was slipping in his hands, and that was a little embarrassing for him.

He was brought back to reality when another wild Snausage whacked his forehead. He jumped and dropped everything, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell was that for?"

Chiron cleared his throat and shot him a warning look, because cursing was supposedly a big no-no at camp. Monsters, deadly weapons, and suicide quests? No problem. Cussing? Good fucking luck.

Annabeth said, slightly annoyed, "Pay attention Leo. We're trying to figure out where Gaea might be keeping more of her armies."

As if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he asked, "Did you check her sleevies?"

If Leo wasn't afraid of Annabeth before, he sure as hell was now. Her normally grey eyes seemed to come alive with a burning desire to jump across the table and strangle him. She had been coolly frantic for the last few months in her search for her boyfriend. It made her unbearably irritable and a complete fun-sucker. Leo couldn't blame her, though. If he had anyone left to care about like that, he'd be doing the same thing.

He was silently waiting for a drum set to appear in the corner and salute his wit, but nothing was there to save him. Everyone else in the room only moaned and groaned at his terrible timing and face-palmed themselves as they tried to contain their stupid smiles. The Stoll brothers were having a difficult time, until Annabeth threatened to kill them with a deadly glance.

"You're incorrigible, Valdez," she called, dryly.

"Thank you, Chase."

Regaining her composure, she continued. "As I was saying, we've been in contact with several satyrs across the U.S. but none have heard or seen anything too unusual. I've reached out to anyone I can think of, via I.M., but no luck so far." Her shoulders slumped as she said this. Gods she was miserable.

"Actually, I received an I.M. from a dear relative of mine to the South," Chiron began, "and they ran into a migrating group of drakons near the gulf area. Apparently they have found a new mating ground…"

Butch scrunched up his face. "Mating grounds? Why are drakons down there?"

Leo was thinking the same thing, but kept his mouth shut for a minute.

Annabeth cut in this time and looked around the room. "Come on, guys. What large reptiles live in swamps down south?" Of course she knew the answer. She knew _all_ the answers.

Everyone's eyes grew wide and Leo tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't want to think about scaly lizards that could use him as a toothpick, especially when he missed Festus this much. Not that Festus ever thought he was a toothpick.

"Alligators live in Florida..." Butch questioned as his eyes narrowed. Annabeth and Chiron continued to stare at the linebacker, waiting for the light bulb to go off above his head.

Leo started to mumble, even though everyone could hear him. "You've gotta be shitting me. Gators? Crocs and gators are –"

"- Possibly young drakons, yes, Mr. Valdez. Must I remind you to _watch your mouth_?" Chiron looked like he was ready to trample him. Good thing he was in his wheelchair disguise. Leo imagined wheelchair marks covering his face like a road kill pancake.

"The Mist is perfect for them down there, where they can blend in with the natural habitat and live with the real reptiles."

Biology was never his forte. And he wasn't much of a listener, either.

"Great. So you're telling me that these idiot mortals on TV are actually wrestling BABY FUCKING DRAKONS."

"Enough!" Chiron raised his voice and glared at Leo, as if he would spontaneously combust from the eye contact. "I am in no mood for your flippant suggestions. You're on armory duty for the next week. Consider yourself warned, Leo."

He had never heard Chiron raise his voice before, and it totally caught him off guard. Was he supposed to laugh? Be quiet? Make another terrible joke? Leave? He hated cleaning, even though this time was completely his fault. Apparently the bad boy vibe was a little more than he bargained for today.

Chiron and Annabeth carried on with the meeting as if nothing happened. All he could think about was one of those swamp people television shows, where they tango with crocodiles in the murky swamp water. Were stupid people extra resilient? Must be nice – maybe ignorance really is bliss.

Leo continued to slump in his chair, unconsciously strumming his fingers against his thigh. The other counselors added their opinions where they thought necessary, and the meeting was over before he realized. Hopefully there wasn't a quiz. He began to slink out the door when Chiron cleared his throat and caught his attention. It was that low coughing noise, like _Now where do you think you're going?_ Great.

After the war room was empty, Leo took a funny step toward the centaur. "So… what's up?"

Chiron sighed. "I know you are under a lot of stress, Leo. Building the Argo –"

"- the Argo _II_, actually – "

" – is no small task. And I know you're coming to that age where expanding your vocabulary feels like a wonderful stress reliever, but I must ask you to respect your elders. I am not here to listen to it. Do you understand?"

"So does this mean you were just kidding about armory duty?"

Chiron shook his head slowly. He had this disappointed look on his face that Leo knew all too well. He was sick of seeing it.

"Yeah, sure. I – I mean yes sir."

He nodded his head slowly, still looking up at him.

"So, uh, can I go now? I gotta get back to work."

"Of course."

Leo turned to walk away as quickly as possible without looking like he was trying to escape, but Chiron called to him one last time.

"Oh, and Leo? Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Leo nodded and feigned a smile as he turned and walked away, his hands in his pockets. That was easier said than done.

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><p><strong>Tadaaa? What do you think? Please let me know! I'd love some feedback :) I have a couple chaptersscenes already written, but if you have any requests feel free to shout it out. Seriously. Pls.**

**Also, there was a subtle Super Troopers reference in there - did any of you catch it? **


	2. Pyrra

**Pyrra**

Leo remembered the first time he stumbled upon Pyrra.

And her response? She tried to light his ass on fire.

He was walking back from Bunker 9 after dark, regretting he missed dinner. His stomach was practically screaming at him. Time sure flies when you're having fun – especially when your idea of fun is holing up in the side of a mountain, covering yourself in grease and getting your hands pinched in a table vice. The blood blisters were already forming on the edge of his fingertips and he kept poking and squeezing them. He always needed something to do with his hands, even after working for hours on end. It was amazing his ADHD hadn't driven him crazy from being cooped up in the bunker all day.

As he walked, he snapped his fingers and caused small spits of flame to dance on the edge of his fingertips. Like, _really_ small. Once he summoned a pint-sized fireball in his hand and the dryads went nuts, and he learned the hard way to never do that again. He had the bruise on his ass to remind him.

Staring into the fire was a wonderful way to distract him from the extra creepy vibe in the forest that night. His brisk walk carried him through the trees and he absentmindedly veered off the beaten path. Before he knew it he was near Zeus' Fist, which was clearly not where he wanted to be.

"Damnit Leo. Maybe a round of dizzy bat would be a little more helpful next time," he scoffed under his breath and ran a hand through his mop of hair.

_You're not lost_, he told himself. _You're just exploring_.

In the middle of the night.

In the woods.

Blah. If he could survive a quest with Piper and Jason to the west coast and back _and_ save a psychopath goddess, walking back to his cabin should be a piece of cake.

He turned around and began to re-trace his steps when he noticed _something_ over to his left. He narrowed his eyes and peered deeper into the forest, only to sense a massive amount of heat coming from that direction. It was far off, but Leo could still feel it.

Any smart person would have cautiously stepped away and headed to welcoming sweatpants and a comfortable bed. But Leo? Nope. He pulled a crescent wrench out of his tool belt, because wrenches were undoubtedly the best thing he could think of, and crept forward. His bulky steel toe boots crunched everything in his path. Clearly, stealth wasn't his special ability.

He stepped out of the woods and onto the beach that sat on the north side of Zeus' Fist. The creek slowly babbled into the Sound, and the lull of soft waves danced in his ears. It would have been peaceful – romantic, even – until a fireball hurled towards him with incredible speed.

"_Fuck_," was all he could mutter as the flames engulfed him.

The fire dissipated as quickly as it came. Rubbing his eyes and wiping off what was left of his shirt as if he got a little dust on it, he held his wrench in front of him. Did he honestly think he could smack one across the Sound like he was a demigod Jeter?

"Centaur shit! Why aren't you dead?" someone yelped off to his side. The voice was feminine and quick and snappy, and there was a nice slice of disappointment in it.

"I have this terrible habit of not dying. Sorry to ruin your plans, darling." He rolled his eyes, even though it was dark enough so no one could see him.

Ahead of him was a young woman, who seemed to be glowing in the night. Not like a creepy ghost glow, but more of a warm fire and old coals kind of glow. The kind of glow that you could sit around and stare at for hours and roast marshmallows over while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

"Who are you? And why did you sneak up on me like that?" she asked, with an impish gleam in her eyes. She took several steps closer and eyed him up and down.

"Leo Valdez, at your service," he announced and bowed, throwing his hands out for theatrics. "Professional pain in the ass and disrupter of tranquility."

Leo had this other terrible habit of falling in love with every girl he came across. In the first five seconds of making eye contact, he was already planning out their spicy romance in his head. It sucked because it never lasted longer than those five seconds. Once, he tried to seduce a sadistic ice goddess in her daddy's creepy ice castle. He was in _way_ over his head with that one. He blamed it on the pressure to find a prom date and _not_ his raging hormones.

The girl in front of him was now inching her way closer, like a cat ready to pounce. She had a sharp face like an elf, as well as pointed ears that peeked from behind her fiery dark red hair. It was pin straight and hung in front of her chest. She was wearing a sheer gossamer dress that looked like it was made of Celestial bronze, even though it gently tossed in the breeze. It was incredibly short, as well, and her tan legs seemed to go on for days. And her eyes, gods they were enchanting. The small kaleidoscopes kept shifting between different colors – silver, gold, bronze, copper, steel – and Leo thought he was going to melt.

Her eyes kept darting across all his features, and he couldn't help but smirk. _Let's see how long we can make this last, _he challenged himself.

"A son of Hephaestus?" she gestured to the wrench.

Leo twirled it in his hands before slinging it into his belt loop, like some cowboy holstering his smoking gun. "Yup. I see my reputation precedes me."

"I know your father, you know. I used to work in his forges, centuries ago. Just as my father before me."

"Did you get fired or something?"

A new look crawled across her face, and Leo could recognize it from anywhere. Where a girl is looking at someone of interest across a crowded room, and she basically screams with her eyes to carry her away in the most romantic and sensual way possible. All those Aphrodite girls practiced it every day, but Leo was never on the receiving end. He was now at a loss for words when it flashed across her face. A lump formed in his throat and heat was rising to his cheeks. Hopefully he wouldn't start smoking in front of her.

She rolled her eyes. "Apparently gods don't like their little worker bees distracted with sexual advances. Something about poor productivity metrics…" She waved it off like it was no big deal. "It doesn't matter anymore. That was eons ago. I've been here ever since."

_Eons_. Leo didn't know what to say. His jaw was gaping open as he stared at the woman in front of him. Not that he should be surprised - this _was_ Camp Half-Blood, after all.

"So you were grounded and sent to Camp? For screwing your co-workers?"

"Basically."

"So, you're a…?" he prompted, hoping she would answer. Clearly she wasn't a mortal if she lived for centuries and could hurl giant infernos at his face.

"A little promiscuous?"

"Whoa! Not what I meant."

She looked disappointed. "A nymph, you fool. Can't you tell?" she asked, playfully batting her long lashes.

"A _fire nymph_? I didn't think we had those here."

She delicately held out her hand and a small flame danced at her fingertips. She smiled and said, "You don't. It's just me, the _accident_. My father was seduced by a nymph. And alas, I arrived, and was dumped at the foot of a forge."

The fire in her hand started to grow darker and more powerful, and Leo wondered if she would ignite if her emotions got out of control. It twisted into different shapes that didn't seem to make her happier with the memory. There were monsters, battles, weapons, people, and flames – all shifting ferociously in her palm. She scowled as unknown thoughts raced in her mind, and Leo did the only thing he knew how to do.

He laughed.

She immediately extinguished the fire in her hand and glared at him. It looked like she wanted to strangle him and shove a flaming foot up his ass.

He could feel a mischievous spark in his eye, and he knew he shouldn't be doing this around others. Especially strange nymphs that he met in the middle of the night. He was still self-conscious about his power and lack of finesse. However, Leo kind of sucked at playing by the rules. He held out his hand and a ball of fire ignited in his rough palm. It wasn't nearly as pretty as her demonstration, but he still smiled madly.

"We're all freaks here. And I? Well, I'm the _king_."

Her eyes grew wide as she watched. "A _King?_"

"_The_ King. King Leo, the master of flame, the ruler of handsome, the enforcer of charm and –"

At that moment, Leo's ramble was cut off when a thunderous boom rattled the skies above. He cowardly extinguished his flame and looked up, waiting for a lightning bolt to crisp him like a french fry.

The nymph smirked and asked, "Did someone piss daddy off?"

"Nah, just grandpa this time."

She gestured to his extinguished hands and changed the subject. "I didn't know mortals could do that."

"Demigod, actually."

"I've seen civilizations rise and fall. You, Leo Valdez, have barely seen a few seasons," she said with a huff.

Leo wasn't sure what to say after that, so he remained quiet for a few moments and continued to study the nymph in front of him. He realized her skin wasn't actually glowing, like he thought when he first saw her. Her tan appearance was actually from a metallic tint, like she had molten metal mixed with her skin. He thought it was bizarre, until he remembered that all the wood nymphs were green and the water nymphs were blue-ish. Needless to say, she was really hot – and not just because she was a fire nymph.

He noticed she was studying him just as much, so he decided to break the ice smoothly.

"So, uh, name, what's your nymph?"

_Fuck_.

She laughed the most clearly crisp laugh Leo had heard since arriving to camp. It was so genuine, it seemed, and he wanted to make her laugh more.

"My _name_ is Pyrra," she purred as she dipped down in a curtsey, mimicking his earlier greeting.

Leo didn't know what came over him, but he reached out and took her hand and planted a soft kiss on top. Isn't that the nice way to woo a lady? Or nymph, whatever.

He felt his face get hot and his brain went all stupid, so he dropped her hand immediately. In order to avoid another awkward silence, he did something else that fell in his area of expertise.

He turned and ran back to the cabins.

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><p><strong>I'm in a fantastic mood. Wanna know why? I bought a horse today, and I am super duper stoked. Like <em>holy shit I cannot wait to go pick her up tomorrow I think I might peeeeeeee<em>. YESSSSSSSS.**

**So you get another chapter :)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know not many people like OCs, but I have a good idea for her so please just bare with me. And don't worry, this won't interfere with our love for Caleo, the best ship everrrrrrr.**

**Shout out to AsumeKona, who not only reviewed, but also followed and favorited this story! Dedication at its finest. And thanks to Owlhearted and the guest review, you guys are wonderful! Keep those babies comin'!**

**Don't forget to review! I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of my OC.**


	3. Supercalifragilistic

**Supercalifragilistic**

Pyrra was awesome. The red-headed nymph could literally make metal do whatever she wanted. Leo thought, if she asked nicely and batted her eyelashes, that she could convince a sword to slice the heavens for her. It was like she could charmspeak and seduce it to her liking, all with a single glance. She was a walking forge, a welder, an extrusion press, a casting machine… the list could go on and on. It left Leo scared shitless, and he loved it.

However, he still didn't know what to think of her. She was very open and honest and had no problems talking with him, but that wasn't the issue. He still thought it was weird, like she wasn't really there. Like she was just a figment of Leo's crazy hyperactive imagination and was going to liquefy into a puddle of molten. No one _ever _gave the repair boy any attention. If this was a sick joke, the gods really fucking sucked.

Not that he was _totally _complaining. It's not every day a fiery hot half-naked nymph put up with his shit, so he made sure to enjoy it while it lasted.

Leo thrust his attention back to the project in front of him: designing the oars that would line the sides of the trireme. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted, but now it was a matter of doing it. Which, as always, was easier said than done.

_CLANG_.

He almost jumped out of his skin when Pyrra slammed a shield on his workbench. She leaned on the table in front of her and propped her hand beneath her chin, a crooked smile spread across her face. Leo tried to ignore her almost-bare chest as it screamed for his attention, and he swore to himself for letting the nymph distract him.

_Stupid hormones._

"Sup?" He tried to sound as cool as possible, but his voice squeaked a little. _Damnit_.

"All the starboard shields are re-worked. Inclusions are non-existent, of course, and I have eliminated any possible structural fatigue." Her voice was so professional and magical. Leo couldn't help but nod along.

"Structural issues? They won't be load-bearing or critical for support. Well, I think, anyway."

She teased, "Engineers and their mighty useless words."

"Hey now, us _engineers_ have to use fancy schmancy words to make us sound more supercalifragilistic," he responded with a wink.

"Excuse me?"

"Exactly." He smirked and reached over to pick up the shield.

It was flawless. Like_, holy hot damn it looks better than armor in the forges_ kind of gorgeous. The curvature of the bronze was perfect and held to an impossible tolerance. It was as smooth as silk under his calloused hands, and he shuddered at its touch.

"How in Hades do you do this?" He was practically drooling.

"My father was one of the Dactyls, you know of this already." She cocked her head to the side as her eyes shifted colors again. They were always changing, and Leo could never figure out which color they actually were. Bronze, silver, brass, gold, steel, copper – it was like a kaleidoscope of precious metals swirling in her irises.

"Yeah, but I meant _how_. Like, show me. I wanna watch."

"You want to watch."

"Yes?"

She purred, "Are you sure?"

At first Leo tried to answer, but garbled words stumbled off his tongue. He cleared his throat and puffed out his chest before responding. "Yes, show me."

Pyrra's face lit up like a welding arc. "Okay! Come here!" She grabbed his greasy hands and dragged him over to the misfit island of armor sitting along the back wall.

Although it was impossible, Leo felt like his hand was going to melt from the contact. The flaming son of Hephaestus was about to drip into a puddle of Leo, and that was just plain _embarrassing_.

She let go of his hand and picked up a badly misshapen shield. It had cracks and holes and burns all over it, and was so bent out of shape it looked like a freight train with teeth and PMS got to it first.

She looked at the chunk of bronze with a hint of affection and stoked its flaws lovingly. Then, her eyes glowed the color of celestial bronze and goose bumps pricked at his tan skin. Hands glided over the metal as if she was an ultrasonic inspection station. As she caressed the holes on the surface, they filled in with fresh molten and eliminated any previous blemish. The metal would mold and melt beneath her touch, fusing together to hide the imperfections and send any inclusions away. The shield reformed in her hands, bending back in all the correct places and restored its beautiful reflective and glowing surface. Finally, she did this weird thing (Leo wasn't sure how) that magically gave the celestial bronze amplified mechanical properties, and all Leo could do was stare with his mouth hanging open like a moron.

Everywhere her slender finger danced, she left a trail of beauty behind. So much control and power radiated from this girl. Could she do this with organic forms of matter, too?

She blinked a few times, and her eyes returned to the ever-flowing mix of colors. She triumphantly held the shield up for his inspection, like a little kid bringing home a good report card to stick on the fridge.

He stared at his reflection and shuddered. Even the guy staring back at him looked handsome, and Leo thought it was just a trick of her metallurgical magic.

"So that's it?"

"Yes, that's it. What were you expecting?"

In his case, expectations usually lead to disappointments, but he kept that to himself.

"Well I don't know. I guess I imagined actually seeing physical work, ya know? You magically cold-worked the bronze, how am I supposed to know the grain structure is sufficient for the strength I want?"

"It's celestial bronze, you fool. Of course it's going to be everything you've ever hoped and dreamed. And more."

"Hey, relax little _fuego_. I just want this ship as perfect as she can possibly be. She'll need to keep up with me, remember?" He raised an eyebrow as he licked his finger. When he pressed it against is chest, it sizzled dramatically.

Pyrra rolled her eyes. "Are all demigods as cocky as you, Leo Valdez?"

He turned around to head back to his work station. "I think the word you are looking for is _adorable_. Or _charming_, _awesome_, _caliente_," he called over his shoulder, "or _crazy_. Either way, I'm just cute and fun to watch."

By the time he got back to his bench in the corner of Bunker 9, he could hear metal sliding on metal as Pyrra continued to beautify the shields of the Argo II. A smile crawled across his face, and he dove back into work.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and followed and favorited this story! This includes <strong>AsumeKona, Owlhearted, .go, kuro-madness, and lordofthenight97**. ****Your support is fantastic and it really does make me all giggly inside when I get stuff from y'all :) Even the guest reviews are great! Thank you so much!**

**On a completely unrelated note, I made blue chocolate chip cookies today because I'm awesome. I also can't get the blue food dye off my fingers. Oops.**

**Let me know what you think! If there's any future scene you'd like to see with Leo, please let me know! I'd love to take prompts from you and see what other awesome ideas people can think of. I also think it would be an awesome challenge to write something that I didn't think of.**

**Also, I think I need a new title. I just threw that one on there because I couldn't think of anything else and it sounds really dumb and corny. Any suggestions?**


	4. F Words

**F Words**

Ah, fire – Leo's second favorite _F_ word.

Now that Pyrra had been teaching him about delicacy and finesse, he would burst into flames every chance he got. As long as it was for productive reasons, of course. Like molding the hull, or welding sheet metal, or roasting marshmallows. Very important things.

He stood at the helm of the ship, soldering wires of the control panel. Jason and Piper were walking around and admiring his progress, but every time Leo had to ignite, Piper would cautiously eye him up and down.

"Are you sure that fire won't hurt you?"

"No, Pipes. It's excruciating. That's why I do it all the time."

He didn't bother looking up from his work, but he could feel her roll her eyes. He knew Jason and Piper were a little weary of his fire power, especially after what happened on the ice bridge over the Rocky Mountains. That little spark made him want to learn as much as possible about his power. How to control it, how to use it. After his mother passed away all those years ago, he tried to hole it up inside and ignore it like it would go away. But now he had an even bigger reason to tackle this head on.

He spliced the last wire together with a feeling of relief, and looked up to remove his goggles. He was admiring his work as Jason walked along the deck.

"How much is left?" asked the son of Zeus.

Leo pulled his goggles completely off and hung them on the wheel. "Eh, not sure. I have a lot of wiring to finish, defenses, weapons, communication programs… you know, the guts."

"Leo, tell us what to do to help you. There's no way you can finish this all by yourself."

"You saying I can't?" he quipped with a raised brow. Of course Jason didn't doubt him. Right?

Piper said, "Leo, this is a lot of work for one person. It's not that you _can't_ do it. We just want to help."

Leo felt himself get all warm and fuzzy, but he shook his head quickly. "Are you doing that thing again?"

"No! I'm just telling the truth."

He eyed her up and down, as she had done earlier to him, before thanking both of them.

As he stood at the wheel, he looked over the ship. _His_ ship. His baby. It was beautiful. He wondered if this is what pirate captains felt like, sailing across the open seas with their most prized possession under their feet.

"Hey guys!" he called as his eyes sparkled with excitement. "So, a pirate walks into a bar – "

"Oh gods, not another one," Piper groaned.

" – with his ship's steering wheel stuck to the front of his pants –"

"I'm so sick of pirate jokes," said Jason.

"- and the bartender asks, 'Hey, doesn't that bother you?'"

"Wait for it…"

" – and the pirate replies, 'Aye, it's drivin' me NUTS!'"

"… Aaaand there it is."

Leo was leaning on the wheel to support himself from falling over. He didn't even bother looking at his friends, because he knew his jokes were damn hilarious and he was allowed to laugh manically.

Jason tried to suppress a stupid smile, and Piper just shook her head. "You need new material, Valdez."

"Bullshit. You don't like my jokes, McLean?"

"Oh c'mon Leo, you've been throwing pirate jokes at everyone since you started working."

Leo paused for a moment and scratched his chin. New material, huh? Poor Piper, she had no idea who she was talking to.

"Wanna hear two short jokes and a long one instead?"

Piper narrowed her eyes, but it was Jason who granted permission.

After a long and dramatic pause, Leo grinned and said, "Joke joke jooooooke."

He heard the dull _smack_ of Piper's hand hitting her forehead, and Jason continued to giggle. After a few minutes, the muffled giggle turned to chuckles and snorts and soon all three of them were laughing.

Piper paused to breathe and said, "You know what? I think I'm going to sell you two. Maybe to the circus something. Like a traveling side show."

"You're crazy," Jason replied.

"For thinking of selling you?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Nah, for thinking someone would buy us."

The three of them looked at each other, and Leo had never felt more comfortable than right here in this moment. With his friends, in a dusty and dimly lit bunker, planning on saving the world.

"Which is exactly why we're together," Jason said as he wrapped an arm over Piper's shoulders. "Now, Leo, tell us what you need help with."

Ah, friends – Leo's first favorite _F_ word.

* * *

><p><strong>It's a short one, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I just finished reading <span>BoO<span>** **and I LOVED it! Leo was god awfully corny and cute, obviously. AND NICO! OH MY GODS NICO! I smiled soooo big the entire time with him at the end. **  
><span>

**Thank you **lordofthenight97 **and all the guest reviews! Also, to** Winekita **for the follow! It means so much that I'm hearing from you, so please keep it coming. It definitely motivates me, and I really appreciate the support.**


	5. King of Spice

**King of Spice**

"Here, try this one next."

Leo shoved a small, ugly, orange pepper in Pyrra's face, and she sniffed it like a hungry puppy. He laughed as her nostrils flared a little at the spicy smell, just like she did for all the previous snacks.

Peering over the pepper, she asked, "What is it?"

"Just eat it."

"Leo, you have to tell me what it is!"

"Oh c'mon, just put it in your mouth." He winked and pushed it closer. "You know you want to."

The pair was sitting outside of the dining pavilion on the edge of the woods, basking in the afternoon sunlight. It was slightly chilly today, as it was the middle of winter in New York, but the fire in their blood was keeping them warm. And so were all these hot peppers.

Pyrra rolled her eyes as she snapped at the pepper in one bite. She chewed slowly while making a funny face. Leo knew habañero peppers tasted disgusting, but he would bet a drachma or twelve that Pyrra didn't know that.

After a few seconds of chewing, her face contorted into one of pure disgust as she spit out the bits of orange mush.

"That was disgusting! Are you trying to kill me?" She scowled at him and continued to spit on the ground. Every piece that landed would begin to smoke and almost set the grass on fire. Drama queen.

Leo was cackling with an impish grin on his face. "How would _that_ kill you? You can't melt; you're not made of sugar."

She smacked him in the arm. "Don't tempt me, Valdez. I could smoke you in a second," she growled while fanning her face.

Her cheeks were bright red and sweat was starting to glisten on her brow. Leo thought it was a very nice look for the stubborn nymph who challenged him to a spicy food contest. Clearly, she didn't understand that Leo was the _king_ of spice.

"You can't burn me, sweetheart. I am Leo, master of the flame and devilishly good looks!" He held his hand up in a gun shape and pulled the imaginary trigger. When his index finger caught fire, he cheekily blew it out and left a smoking finger pointing into the air.

As she rolled her eyes, she leaned forward and picked a green pepper off the napkin in front of them. Her bright auburn hair looked alive and licked by flames as it fell around her shoulders. It was such a contrast to the dark green skin of the pepper, and he thought the color suited her well.

"You have to eat _this_ one now." She smiled and held the pepper out to him.

It was a jalapeño, and Leo was almost embarrassed for her picking such a weak one. He kept that thought to himself, though.

"Bring it on. I eat this shit for breakfast." He smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

He sat up straight and opened his mouth wide like a baby bird. She tossed it up in the air and he caught it in his mouth with a satisfying _crunch_. As he chewed, he could feel the heat build in his mouth and make his face grow warmer, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Pyrra stared patiently, waiting for him to have a fit and spit it out. When he swallowed, she finally realized that it wasn't going to happen. Leo wanted to congratulate her for her effort because she totally lost.

"Well?" she asked, a serious look on her face. "Are you hot yet?"

He playfully winked. "I don't know, you tell me."

"You're an ass."

"Blah blah blah. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I'm still pretty bad ass," he sang. "So, Pyrra, I think it's safe to say I won this little showdown?" He stood and brushed his pants off while offering her a hand.

She grudgingly took it and he hoisted her up. She stood a few inches from his face, and he could feel the intense heat radiate off of her. What was it with this girl? It must be a nymph thing.

He held her hand for an awkward moment before dropping it like an oozing pizza roll. He could feel his cheeks grow warmer, which was a big deal for a fire user. He cursed under his breath for staring too long.

He looked away and said to himself, "Dumbass."

"Excuse me?" she asked, with her eyebrows raised.

So maybe he didn't say that to himself.

"Nothing. Wanna head back to the bunker? I have a lot of work –"

"Ahh, Leo. Nice to see you out in the daylight." Chiron trotted over to him with his bow slung across his broad shoulders. "I hope you haven't forgotten about your armory duty?"

"Chiron! No, no no of course I haven't forgotten. Actually, I was – "

The massive centaur chuckled and shook his head. "Relax. There's only a small amount of work to do. The sooner you finish there, the sooner you can return to the Bunker."

The way he said it, it left Leo little choice. Chiron had an uncanny ability to make seemingly harmless suggestions that were really demands and orders. The demigod sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll head over now. Thanks, Chiron."

"Thank _you_, Leo. I will see you tonight at dinner." And with that, the mighty centaur turned and loped away to the archery fields.

Leo was zoning out as he thought about how much horsepower a centaur had, because technically he was more than just a horse. And he heard somewhere, probably from Ms. Know-It-All, that a regular horse can exert up to fourteen horsepower for a few seconds.

"I wonder what the conversion factor is from Leo-power to horsepower…" he pondered and stroked his chin.

"Leo?"

"Hmm?"

"Weave a tapestry. It will last longer."

"Huh?"

"You're staring at a centaur's ass," the nymph stated dryly.

That snapped him out of it quicker than Festus being bribed with a jumbo bottle of Tabasco. He awkwardly laughed and looked to his side, where Pyrra was standing with her hands on her hips and trying not to laugh at him.

"Ah shut it. You're just jealous."

She rolled her eyes. "And _you_ are delusional."

"Thank you, darling. Now, off to the armory!" He clapped like a giddy child and turned to march away.

He could almost hear her dramatically shake her head before she decided to follow him. _Of course she would_, he thought. _Her day would be so boring without a little Leo-spice_.

* * *

><p><strong>Another funny-ish and light-hearted chapter! I love writing Leo, he's so much fun. I hope everyone else is still enjoying him.<strong>

**Shout out to **ObsessedwReading** and **paprikaniknaks3** as the newest fans! I appreciate your support and I hope you, as well as everyone else, still gets a kick outta this story. **

**I'm still thinking about changing the title - any suggestions? Also, if there's a scene you'd like to see with Leo and whoever, please message me! I'm looking for prompts and ideas to keep it interesting. **

**Au revoir **


	6. Heaven

**Heaven**

The old beat-up radio was covered in cobwebs and dust when Leo found it. He didn't care, as long as it played some music to drown out the empty echo of the massive Bunker. He brought it over to his work bench and plugged it in to the nearest outlet, praying to the gods for a decent radio station. Did they even get reception in here? He knew they couldn't have cool stuff, like phones or iPods, but he hoped an old cassette deck with an FM tuner wasn't a total monster magnet.

After several minutes of swearing and banging, he finally tuned into a station at the tail end of a song. As the next song started to play, Leo felt his heart skip a beat as it sank and kicked him in the gut.

The Rolling Stones melody danced through the crackling speakers. Now all he could do was hold his breath and think of his _mami_ all those years ago in the mechanic shop.

It was her favorite band to listen to while she worked. She would hum along and sway with the music, although she always tried to hide it from Leo's wandering eyes. He would laugh and jump around like a maniac, and she would shake her head and squeeze him tight. She always said she loved the sound of a guitar, or any string instrument, and that it reminded her of her family from long ago.

"… _Smell of you baby, my senses, my senses be praised; kissing and running, kissing and running away…"_

She always smelled like engines and grease, and it was the most comforting smell he could think of. Not the kind of engine that was brand spankin' new, sitting in a showroom where dust wasn't allowed to land. No, she always reminded him of an older one, a reliable one. An old truck engine that had its fair share of hard work each and every day, while still turning over and starting the next day. One that you could depend on if you got stuck or one that would never break down in the middle of nowhere. One that could carry you far away without a care in the world, so you would never have to turn around and look back.

"… _You're my saving grace, saving grace; nothing will harm you; nothing will stand in your way; nothing, nothing…"_

He laughed to himself as he buried his hands into his tool belt, hoping to pull out something useful. When a hair-tie and a pair of pliers came out, he rolled his eyes. How was he supposed to be a saving grace with _this_? He couldn't save his mom, even though he desperately tried. He remembered the malicious look on Gaea's ugly face as that building burned to the ground and he helplessly stood outside. Anger boiled his blood, but it was quickly washed away with sadness and longing.

And why in Hermes' name was there a friggen hair tie in his tool belt? Apparently the only thing that might stand in his way was someone's unruly hairdo. He set the seemingly useless offerings down.

He dove into his work, revising drawings and putting the finishing touches on his control panel. If he could pull this off, this would be the sweetest and sexiest warship the modern world has ever seen. He buzzed on, aware of the music in the background, but tried to ignore the depressing memories the Stones brought with them.

"… _Nothing will stop you; and nothing will stand in your way; no one will harm you; and no one will stand in your way; no one will bar you; no one will stand in your way…"_

He shoved his nose deeper into the engineering paperwork. He shouldn't have fixed that fucking radio.

Apparently everything and everyone was trying to stop him. Even these bat-shit crazy gods were driving him insane and making everything almost impossible to accomplish. Their ridiculous ideas, their moronic attempts at teamwork, the obnoxious quests and monsters – everything was one big shit show.

Leo heard a _snap_ and looked down to see his pencil in splinters. It appeared that thinking about his ever-loving immortal family was bad for his writing utensils.

_Family._ That was something that Leo never truly experienced. At least, not since his mother passed away. But here at Camp Half-Blood he did have a family of sorts. It was one big mumbo-jumbo pile of chaos spliced together, with crazy pushing at the seams. He never really thought about it, but Jason and Piper were the closest things he had to a family. _Hell_, they were his family. Jason was the perfect role-model brother who was an All-American athlete that got straight A's and volunteered thirty-three hours a day. And Piper was the beautiful daughter that everyone wanted – charming, humble, honest, and caring.

And Leo? Well, he figured he was the fool that balanced everything else out. The one that drove the other two nuts. That's what family was for, right?

"… _Nothing will stand in your way; nothing; there's nothing."_

The demigod sighed and leaned back on his stool, running a skinny hand through his twisted hair.

But family wasn't only for driving each other _loco_. They protected him, and he protected them. Holy Hephaestus, they went all over the country together, kicking ass and taking names every day. All three of them would have been toast without each other – well, Leo would be, anyway. He needed them. And he needed to help them.

His _family_.

Leo cracked his knuckles with a satisfying _pop _and he grinned. Looking up to the ceiling, he shouted, "Ya hear that? Even Jagger knows what's up!"

The only sound was his voice as it echoed through the empty warehouse.

"Ha! Nothing will stand in my way. Absolutely NOTHING!" he called triumphantly. Both hands were raised over his head, as if beckoning for the gods to strike him down where he stood.

After grinning like a mad man for another silent moment, he realized the radio had gone silent. He suddenly missed the background noise and felt eerie without it. He lugged it back to his cluttered work area and started tinkering with it, trying to get it to play again.

He was glad he found the radio.

* * *

><p><strong>What are the chances that Leo would find an old and unloved radio that has been hidden in a secret bunker that hasn't been occupied since the Civil War? Zilch. Do I care? Nope.<strong>

**The song is called Heaven, by The Rolling Stones. Which, obviously, I don't own.**

**I was in a bad mood when I wrote this chapter, so it's not as fun and light as the previous ones. But I can definitely say I was in an awesome mood for the next chapter, and I am so excited to share it with you lovely people :)**

**Speaking of lovelies, thank you so much for the support! **AsumeKona, lordofthenight97, **and** ObsessedwReading** for messaging and reviewing and all that wonderful stuff! And for the poor people who are actually reading and staying quiet, thank you as well. I really really appreciate it :)**


	7. Buford

**Buford **

In the short time that Leo had been at Camp Half-Blood, he had learned that everything happens for a reason. But sometimes the reason is that you're stupid and you make bad decisions. Or the gods are jerks. Or some wonderful combination of the two, in Leo's case.

After finishing his punishment of armory duty, Leo trudged back to his cabin to actually get a decent night's sleep in his bed. For some strange reason, his neck and back were stiff and kinked and whenever someone called his name, he would whip his head around and start swearing and rubbing his neck like a wrinkly old man. Clearly this had nothing to do with the fact he'd been sleeping on desks and piles of wires and tools at random intervals in the day and night. Nope, definitely not the problem.

When he finally collapsed on his bed after getting undressed, he could feel the world lift from his shoulders as he exhaled into his lumpy pillow. His little cave was dark and warm and he had the humming background noise of gizmos and gadgets to keep him company. There were magic metal lanterns in the corners of his room, and they cast a soothing glow over the mess of tools and projects. Sleep was dancing just out of his grasp, but he was determined to catch this elusive thing that teased him so much.

He was just about to fall asleep when something knocked on the wall next to his headboard.

_Tap tap tap_.

Leo rolled over and buried himself under the pillow, muffling out the annoying noise.

_Tap tap tap tap tap_.

He growled and squeezed the pillow around his ears, like it would protect him and his chance at sleep.

_BANG_.

Something pounded and rattled the wall hard enough to cause one of his pipe cleaner and washer doohickeys to crash onto the floor. He shot up and banged on the wall, hoping whoever it was would get the hint.

"Stupid siblings, think they're frickin' hilarious…"

"Last I checked, I am _not_ your sibling, Valdez."

The demigod yelped and jumped out of his bed before Pyrra even finished her sentence. He was wildly staring at her, wondering how in Hades she got in here.

"WHAT THE HELL PYRRA?!"

The nymph rolled her eyes. "Don't you '_what the hell_' me, pipsqueak. I have something important to show you."

"So you thought _now_ was a good time? Seriously? Didn't your mother teach you to knock?" he scolded. Not that he was one to talk, but he was so pissed she was keeping him awake. If a girl decided to creep in his room in the middle of the night for some mysterious reason, this was _not_ what he had in mind.

"If my nymph of a mother ever knocked, then I would have never been born," she snapped.

"Uhhh what's that supposed to –"

"Just shut up and come on!" She reached out and pulled Leo off the bed, and he tumbled down in a mess of blankets and embarrassment.

As soon as he hit the floor and Pyrra ripped the blanket off of him, Leo remembered he was only in his boxers – the ones that were covered in cartoon chili peppers with sunglasses. He squeaked and pulled the blanket back on top of him and up to his chin. This was _definitely_ _not_ how he imagined being almost naked in front of a girl for the first time. He bet the gods were getting a kick out of this.

A wisp of smoke danced into Leo's nostrils. He realized, in his embarrassment, that his hands were singing the blanket and it was beginning to catch on fire. He caught Pyrra grinning wickedly, but it took all of his concentration to stop the smoldering.

"What's wrong, Leo?" she purred. "Surely you can't be ashamed of this… situation." She slowly batted her lashes and grinned more.

_Fuck_. She was doing that nymph thing. The one with the words and the eyes and the lips and the stuff. The one that made Leo all warm and fuzzy, where his ability to form a coherent sentence flies out the window. Where his brain goes all stupid and his judgment is a little more clouded than normal.

He mumbled and garbled some sounds that were supposed to be words, and Pyrra laughed at him.

Okay, _a lot_ more than normal.

"Put some clothes on, little hero. Meet me outside." The fire nymph winked before she melted and drifted into the flame of his lantern and vanished.

Leo sat on the floor for another minute before finally shutting his gaping mouth. He threw some clothes on, fixed his pants (because they were backwards the first time), grabbed his tool belt, and snuck out the front door.

Pyrra was sitting on the front steps waiting for him, and her eyes drifted over him as he approached. "You know, I think I liked you better without clothes."

"Listen, lady. If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask." Leo felt his confidence coming back, albeit slowly.

Pyrra rolled her eyes again before saying, "You're too young for me. And you were wearing boxers. _Nothing_ is much more appealing, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask," Leo replied dryly with a scrunched face.

"Right. Follow me! Before the harpies eat you." She grabbed his hand for the second time that night and pulled him into the woods.

As he was being dragged behind the crazy nymph, his mind raced with a million different things. However, most of his thoughts concerned the thing at the end of his hand. The fact that she pretty much admitted she liked men who went commando, and that her mother seduced her father by barging in and not knocking – this was a little too much for groggy-zombie-Leo. Clearly, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Especially if that tree was in a ditch, and the apple could roll back into the trunk.

Pyrra slowed down and crouched behind a rock. Leo followed suit, and heard a throng of feminine voices off in the distance. He could have sworn they sounded drunk, and they were screaming like a wild group of college girls on spring break.

He was about to ask about it, but Pyrra started walking the other way. Without turning around, she whispered, "Don't ask. They're all crazy."

"Crazier than you?" he quipped.

She half-turned around and winked over her shoulder before continuing away from the rock. Leo growled and clenched his fists. Was he ever going to get an explanation out of this girl? So far his odds weren't looking so hot, so he sighed in frustration and followed after her.

-X-

They finally reached Bunker 9 and slipped inside. As the lights began to turn on, Leo followed Pyrra to the far side of the room. Before he could open his mouth, she whisked herself away in a nearby lantern and reappeared on the catwalk above.

Now Leo was getting annoyed, and he wanted answers. "Hey, you crazy nymph! Since when can you pull that little stunt? Did you forget to tell me?"

She waved down to him and said, "Never mind! Just get up here!"

"No! Tell me! You've been acting weird since you magically poofed into my Leo-cave!"

"_Poofed_? I am not some fairy! They don't even exist!"

Leo rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to argue about the validity of magic and fairies with a _nymph_ at a camp for _godly spawn_. "Yeah, I noticed after you tried to jump my bones in my own bedroom! You're too _loco_ to be one. Now tell me what the fuck is going on!"

"_Tsk tsk tsk_, Leo Valdez. That's a drachma in the swear jar for you."

"PYRRA!"

She giggled like a toddler that found the secret stash of Halloween candy before disappearing from the edge of the catwalk. Leo groaned and ran a hand through his hair, having no choice but to follow her up the ladder.

When he reached the top, he spotted her down to his left. As he stormed up to her, she crouched down in front of something and peered into it. When he was close enough he saw she was peeping into a boarded up passageway.

"What are you doing?" he asked, very flat. Maybe she'd get the hint.

"Shh. I heard something in here earlier," she whispered, never taking her eyes out of the slit.

He said rather loudly, "You dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night because you _heard something_ down the blocked passageway? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Two drachmas."

"Argh!" He growled and raised his hands in the air. Fireballs erupted in his palms and ferocity blazed in his eyes. He wanted to Hulk-smash this girl for being so annoying. Did nymphs PMS? Or was Pyrra just that kind of special tonight?

Just then, he heard a scuffling down below towards the other end of the bunker. Pyrra's eyes immediately darted over there, and a devilish grin crawled across her face. She raced past him and melted into the flame.

He raced to catch her, sliding down the side of the ladder like a bad-ass fireman. As he was sprinting towards the storage area, he caught sight of the psycho nymph standing outside of the supply closet with a flame already alight in her hand.

"It's in here," she whispered. She was a lioness on the prowl, ready to pounce at the poor rat that got stuck in the closet. Leo almost felt bad for it.

He reached down into his tool belt in case this was a magical mutant Greek monster rat, and he scowled when he looked down. He was now armed with a small bottle of Lemon Pledge. Fan-freakin'-tastic.

"Open the door," Leo said.

She snickered, "Why? Are you going to leave it clean and dust-free after I find it?"

"Bite me. Just open the damn door."

"That's another drachma –"

"Pyrra!"

With her free hand, Pyrra threw the door open so it almost fell off its hinges. It was dark and musty inside, but the nymph's flame was providing enough light to see. As they crept inside, Leo heard another scuffle at the far end. They tiptoed further, and Leo could feel Pyrra's grin from a few feet away. She really was crazy tonight, and it was starting to scare him.

There, cowering at the other end of the supply closet was a three-legged table. It was about three feet high, with a rounded top made of wood. There were three bronze legs underneath, and they were almost shaking with stress. Puffs of steam were erratically shooting out the vents, and Leo felt terrible for terrifying the walking creation. Could tables be emotionally stressed? Leo wasn't sure.

Leo looked over to his left where Pyrra was still standing with her flaming hand raised, ready to strike. He smacked her arm and told her to put it away.

"You can't attack a table, you idiot," he told her. She must have been going through some crazy nymph-hormone stuff; he'd never seen her act like this. "You're scaring the bolts out of him."

He crouched low and scuttled up to the table and held out the Lemon Pledge as a peace offering. The mechanical table leaned forward and seemed to sniff his hand. Before Leo knew what was going on, it was rubbing against him and purring like a kitten and blowing steam in his face.

* * *

><p><strong>I've been slacking on updates, so I decided to give you a longer chapter this time. I hope you enjoy it! I had fun writing this one.<strong>

**As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed and favorited! It really means a lot to me. I hope to hear from you guys about this chapter as well *hint hint***

**Thanks again!**


	8. New Year's Eve, part I

**New Year's Eve, part I**

"Stupid… crap… dumb… stabilizer… bullshit…" Leo mumbled while tweaking with the fuel injection system for the _Argo II_. If his brain could fry and explode like a Wile E. Coyote cartoon, it was totally about to happen. Or maybe it already did, and he hadn't realized it.

The forge was as hot as Festus' morning breath with the Hephaestus bunch scattered all over and stationed at different work benches. His siblings didn't look anything like him, but they all had that spark of determination when it came to fixing and building. Even little Harley was as rough and tough as a rhinoceros, hunched over and working on a crank shaft for the engine. Nyssa, Shane, Bobby, Tyler, Dan, Josh, Christopher, Hannah, and Martin – almost the whole crew had their noses shoved into some sort of project. No one really talked, but there was a silent understanding within Cabin Nine that they all had each others' backs. And that included the daunting task of building the hottest war ship Camp Half-Blood has ever seen.

Leo was about to throw the pump system against the door in frustration when he turned just in time to see Piper, wide eyed and terrified, standing in the doorway. He looked around to make sure no one else saw Piper's mini-heart attack, and set the parts down on his bench with a heavy _thunk._

"Uhh, hey?" was all Leo could get out of his crooked mouth.

"Gods Leo, one of these days –" Piper crossed her arms and stood there, looking totally out of place in the middle of the forge.

"Yeah yeah, I know. What's up?" The daughter of Aphrodite had never visited Leo before, so he knew something must be up.

She cocked her head to the side so her choppy hair fell into her face. "Leo, what time is it?"

"Hammer time?"

She smiled even though she didn't want to, and even several of his brothers nearby had to stifle a laugh. "No, it's eleven-thirty."

"Shit! I missed breakfast?"

In the background he could hear Josh and Hannah shout "Drachma!" as one of them set a coin-filled jar down on the table with a satisfying _clink_. He'd never escape the swear jar now that Chiron made it a rule for _all_ the demigods. Especially the obnoxious ones named Leo Valdez.

Leo growled and muttered, "Stupid Pyrra. Stupid big-mouthed nymph who told Chiron –"

But Piper snapped her fingers and reined in his attention. "_Night_. Eleven-thirty at night, repair-boy. On the last day of December."

Leo hated that nickname, but he ignored it anyway. He snapped his fingers to mimic her and said, "Correct! And I'm still awesome. Now tell me _why_ that is important."

Piper took a steady breath, and a calm look washed over her face. "Today is New Years Eve, and all of you are going to come to the fire and ring in the new year with the rest of the campers."

Leo had this sudden urge to run out the door and do cartwheels all the way to the fire pit. He wasn't the only one, because all of his siblings had already set down their tools and began to head for the door. Piper was lucky he liked her, otherwise her charmspeak would be the death of him.

With a small smile, Piper added, "And that includes you too, Leo. Relax and have some fun. You've been working too hard." She reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the forge and started to head towards beach.

-X-

The beach on the Long Island Sound was crowded with demigods, satyrs, nymphs, and anyone else who decided to show up. Usually you didn't see this many people crowded together except at dinner time or capture the flag. Not that Leo would know, because he's been stowed away working on the _Argo II_ for the last 38,469 minutes – but he wasn't counting.

Piper and Leo weaved and walked through the crowd until they spotted Jason with Coach Hedge. Before they got close, Leo could hear the over-ambitious satyr telling the guys and girls to not stand so close and started waving his bat in the air.

"Hey! I saw that! You keep your hands to yourself, you schmuck!" Coach shouted and jumped into the crowd.

"Whose idea was it to let Coach Cootie chaperone?" asked Leo as he jabbed his thumb in the direction the satyr disappeared in.

"Probably the same person who dragged you away from your work." Jason smiled down at Piper, who returned the warm glance and nudged his shoulder.

Blah. They were so cute and it made Leo sick. He'd never let either of them know, though.

As Leo looked around to distract himself from Superman and Beauty Queen's goo-goo eyes, he noticed the small fires scattered along the beach with huddles of demigods standing around. It was a chilly evening, even with the seasonal protection of Mr. D. Along the edge of the forest, floating lanterns with different colored flames hung across the tree line. The stars were out, the water was calm, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with the impending doom looming over their heads. Everyone was talking and laughing and smiling. For a moment, he felt like a normal teenager hanging out at a bonfire with friends.

But that moment quickly vanished when he felt a sharp shock on his shoulder. He yelped and turned around to see a giggling Piper and a smiling Jason, who had his finger reaching out towards Leo.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Leo rubbed his arm.

"Are you deaf? We've been trying to talk to you for the past few minutes," Jason said with a raised eyebrow.

He pouted. Had he zoned out for that long? "Well gee, Sparky, you didn't have to zap me."

"Of course I did," Jason said, "because we never see you anymore. I'm surprised you're still tan after all the time spent in the bunker. I had to make sure you were still alive."

"Yeah. But someone's gotta do it. The sexy spankin' trireme won't build itself, now will it?"

Jason scrunched his face. "I don't know if that's the best word to describe a war ship."

"What, _trireme_? Don't be ridiculous, Pan."

"Still don't like that name."

Leo opened his mouth to spew out several other terms of endearment to his best friend, but Piper cut in instead.

"Boys, do I need to remind you that it is now eleven-fifty-eight?" She paused to look between the two and smiled.

"Actually, it's fifty-seven. But that's okay." Annabeth walked up to the group now while eyeing her wristwatch. She looked exhausted, and even in the faint glow of the fires Leo could see the bags under her eyes and the slight slump of her shoulders. He noticed it before when she stayed with Leo to work on the ship, too. But he knew better than to bring it up. He didn't dare ask how the search was going, because he knew she'd kick his ass. Piper and Jason smiled at her as she came to stand beside them.

Leo decided he didn't like the silence, so he asked, "Do we have all our holiday shindigs on the beach? Or do we shake it up every now and then?" He was playing the _I'm-still-new-so-I-can-still-act-oblivious_ card. Knowing Annabeth, though, she'd see right through it.

Annabeth crossed her arms and answered, "Kind of. Technically, this isn't a true Greek holiday. The Greek New Year is actually observed when the Titan constellation Aries rises in the spring. We celebrate mortal holidays as well, to appease everyone else. And –"

"Ares? Isn't that guy kind of a di–"

"It's _Aries_, not Ares. And I suggest you be quiet, Leo, unless you'd like to be cooked _well-done_ before the night is over," Annabeth warned.

Thank the gods that Piper decided to start counting before Leo was blasted to bits by Annabeth's stare.

"Fifty-nine! Fifty-eight! Fifty-seven!..."

Everyone around her joined in, and the volume grew louder and louder the smaller the numbers became. Smiles grew bigger and people started drifting closer and closer together unknowingly as they continued the countdown.

"Thirty-six! Thirty-five! Thirty-four!..."

The Wonder couple was holding hands, Annabeth was playing with a blue charm on her necklace, and Coach Hedge managed to climb on a nearby rock and stare down every pair of demigods who were standing too close.

"Three! Two! One!..."

Leo looked up into the sky and could have sworn the stars were twinkling more than normal. Shouts and cheers erupted from the beach, with clapping and singing and the normal celebrations. As he turned around to wish his friends a happy New Year, he awkwardly looked away at the sight of them kissing. And then his eyes met Annabeth's, who looked like she was pressing her lips to her necklace, and there was a small glimpse of recognition there. They were both alone, and the realization hit Leo harder than he thought it would.

However, that was hastily covered up with a scowl as she narrowed her eyes at him and he cowardly looked away. Yup, she was still damn scary.

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><p><strong>I hope you all have had a good holiday season so far! I know I haven't been around much lately. I could take this time to write a long explanation, but I'm sure you guys and gals don't care that much haha. <strong>

**Anyway, this NYE chapter is actually broken into three parts, and I'm posting the first two together for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! These were definitely fun to write. The third part is almost completed, so I'll post it as soon as I am able.**

**Thanks to everyone who has followed or favorited! I appreciate the support so much and it's wonderful to hear that people are enjoying my ramblings and junk :)**

**Don't forget to review.**


	9. New Year's Eve, part II

**New Year's Eve, part II**

As Leo walked down the beaten path back to the forge, he kept his hands in his pockets and was kicking at pairs of stones and pebbles on the ground as he marched onward, his chin a little lower than normal.

The repair boy. _Kick. _The third wheel. _Kick._ Forever alone. _Kick. _Ugh.

He never even saw her coming.

Before he could imagine pulling that stupid hair tie out of his tool belt, Pyrra had pounced on him and tackled him to the ground. She smelled warm and metallic as she sat on top of him and Leo was comfortable in the familiar scent.

"You know, we have to stop meeting like this," he said.

"What's wrong? You don't like being swept off your feet by a charming nymph who has an exciting surprise for you?"

"No thanks. The last time you had a "surprise" for me, you crept into my room in the middle of the night and almost made me shit myself."

She waved her hand and said, "Irrelevant." She smirked.

Pyrra let out a soft chuckle, and Leo could feel her body hum on top of him. His chest grew warm with his smile as he watched her laugh and grin, and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. Thank his mother for inheriting her warm tan skin, otherwise he'd be toast.

Pyrra rolled off of him and jumped up. As she was bouncing on her toes, Leo sat up and dusted himself off. She practically shouted, "Come on, little hero! I have something to show you."

"Pyrra, for the love of the gods, would you be quiet? You'll wake up Gaea with your big mouth."

As always, she rolled her eyes. "No one but you can hear me, Leo. Now stop wasting time and follow me!" She clapped her hands impatiently and started sprinting in the opposite direction.

Leo was still on the ground with his arms resting on his knees. And he stayed there for several moments, slowly breathing and contemplating whether he liked his seat or something else more.

It was quiet in the woods. Off in the distance, the young demigod could barely hear the crowd on the beach. Leo was never one to sit still for an extended period of time, but he found this instance welcoming and relaxing in a weird way. There was no hum of engines and machines in his ear; there was no smell of steam and hot metal from the forge. There was only Leo Valdez guarded by towering trees and being watched by the midnight sky.

All of which Leo decided he didn't prefer over his tools and workbench and familiar loud noises. He was a son of Hephaestus, for crying out loud. He was just surprised he didn't implode from being this quiet for this long.

As if on cue, the tranquility was ruined when Pyrra bolted back through the trees and arrived right where she left Leo. He looked up at her from the ground, and could see confused look on her face.

"Are you stuck?"

"Yes, Pyrra. I accidentally welded myself to the ground."

She pouted and leaned against the tree. "Are you afraid to follow me, or something?"

"Terrified, actually. Almost shaking in my boots."

He watched her eyes shift color as the imaginary cogs and gears were turning in her head. He imagined smoke coming out her ears from her serious thinking face, like one of those cartoons he used to watch on Saturday mornings. Finally, her face settled on a quiet look and she looked down at the ground.

"I just wanted to show you something," she said, softly. "But if you don't want to come, that's okay."

He had only witnessed this quiet side of Pyrra once before, and he learned the difficult way that she was not very fond of it. Leo could relate to her in that sense.

He tried to get her to smile. "Cheer up, buttercup. Pouting was _so_ last year."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, Valdez. Now, are you coming with me or not?" She held out her hand.

"That was all an act, wasn't it? Pretending to be sad for a minute just to get me –"

"Oh would you shut up for five minutes and just trust me?" She waved her hand again in front of his face. That earlier subdued tone had vanished, and Leo could see the normal Pyrra blazing in her kaleidoscope eyes.

"Hmm… I swear I've heard that come out of your mouth before."

She opened her mouth to answer, but immediately shut it with a soft smack of her lips. Suddenly the nymph's eyes widened and snapped to her left, where Leo could hear snapping branches and the sound of footsteps on the beaten dirt path. A boy and a girl were talking quietly to themselves, and Leo recognized that wind chime of a laugh from anywhere.

Piper and Jason stumbled into Leo, and they looked around the wooded area. Piper asked, "Leo who were you talking to?"

"And why are you sitting in the dirt?" Jason added with a raised brow.

Leo jumped to his feet and brushed himself off. "I was attacked by a lunatic. Don't look so surprised. Even the crazies can't resist me." He looked around and listened, waiting for Pyrra to throw back a snarky remark, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Piper shook her head softly and said, "Of course you were. Where did you run off to? Coach didn't scare you _that_ much, did he?"

He wanted to say he was allergic to mush and goo-goo eyes, but he decided against it. He wanted to tell them that he hated being the teenager who had never been kissed, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I had to pee."

"That was an awfully long bathroom break," said Jason.

"It was of _godly proportions_, you could say." Thunder rumbled in the clouds and Leo pretended to ignore it.

"C'mon Leo, you're full of schist."

"Not anymore."

"Leo!" Piper squeaked. He could see Jason's cheeks get brighter, too.

"Well, Pipes, don't ask questions if you can't handle the answers," Leo wiggled his eyebrows and smirked. "Now, if you two love doves will excuse me, I have an emotionally challenged firebug to find."

He took a step to turn around, but Jason zapped him on his backside. He yelped and jumped around, glaring at his blond friend.

Jason said, "Sorry, but it's the only way I can get your attention now."

"You just like zapping people, Grace. Don't lie."

He chuckled. "Yeah, actually. Surprised?"

"No, just shocked."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Is it getting dumb out here, or is it just you two?"

Both boys turned to Piper and grinned – Jason's was innocent and charming, while Leo's was slightly deranged. Just the way he liked it.

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><p><strong>Yay for two chapters! Like I mentioned before, this will be divided into three parts. The third part is almost complete, and will be posted shortly. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review or message and let me know what you think.<strong>


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